Ethris Announces Positive Scientific Review of its mRNA-Based COVID-19 Therapeutic Program Application to Bavarian BayTherapie2020 Grant Program
— Funding will advance Ethris’ development of an mRNA-based therapeutic to treat SARS-CoV-2 and its variants —
MUNICH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ethris GmbH announced today that it has received positive review from a committee of scientific experts nominated by the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, for its grant application submitted to the Bavarian Government as part of the “BayTherapie2020,” grant call-for-proposals. This positive scientific evaluation places Ethris in strong contention for the grant award and enables the company to outline the funds required to advance its ETH47 program from discovery pharmacology up to completion of clinical Phase 2. ETH47 is a therapeutic candidate harboring the mRNA blueprint for type III interferon, which can be administered directly to the respiratory tract and can treat early SARS-CoV-2 infection by activating the innate immune system. This mechanism of action of triggering a person’s local immune response at the entry site of the virus is distinctly different from systemically-delivered therapeutic antibodies that aim to block the surface protein of the virus. By intervening early during a coronavirus infection, ETH47 is designed to stop it before the onset of severe symptoms. ETH47 was developed using Ethris’ proprietary and unique pulmonary SNIM® RNA therapeutics platform and has the capability to treat other respiratory viruses in a similar manner due to its broad effectiveness.
Dr. Carsten Rudolph, CEO of Ethris commented, “The high mutation potential of SARS-CoV-2 is an increasing risk to global populations and there is an urgent need for therapeutics that can address all potential mutants of the virus, thereby overcoming the challenges these variants pose to the effectiveness of current vaccines or treatments. Receiving a positive review from the scientific experts reaffirms the potential of Ethris’ science and RNA technology platform. I would like to thank the Bavarian government for their support and commitment in allocating funds for companies in the region that are developing novel therapeutics to address this pandemic.”
BayTherapie2020 is a current call-for-proposals initiated by the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy to fund innovative research and development projects of drug candidates for treatment of COVID-19 in the state of Bavaria, Germany. Upon receipt of the final award of the funding and building on successful in vitro pharmacology studies, Ethris will continue its ETH47 development program with the goal of rapidly entering clinical studies.
Prof. Dr. Horst Domdey, Managing Director and CEO of BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH, Munich, and spokesperson of the Bavarian Biotechnology Cluster added, “I am very pleased that the BioM backed initiative to support the development of urgently needed therapeutics against COVID-19 with government funding has now reached the next level. Over the past two decades, Bavaria has continued to produce excellent biotechnology leaders developing novel therapeutics. Ethris is at the forefront of mRNA technologies, having developed a unique platform that can deliver mRNA-based therapeutics directly to the respiratory tract. The positive review of the application is of course a great recognition for Ethris, and I look forward to the company’s progress as it develops a novel therapeutic for COVID-19.”
The ETH47 program is independent of the ongoing collaboration Ethris established with Neurimmune to develop an mRNA-based antibody therapy for the treatment of COVID-19.
About Ethris
Ethris has paved a new path from genes to therapeutic proteins using its proprietary, non-immunogenic messenger RNA technology platform to discover, design and develop innovative therapies. With more than a decade as an mRNA pioneer, we are a global leader in delivering stabilized mRNAs directly to the respiratory system via optimized formulation and nebulization technologies. We are rapidly approaching proof of concept for generating therapeutic antibodies against COVID-19 in the lung with our partner Neurimmune while advancing our pipeline of immuno-modulation and mRNA-based protein replacement therapies with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ lives. For more information, visit www.ethris.com.
Contacts
Ethris GmbH
Dr. Carsten Rudolph
+49 89 8955788 10
[email protected]
Trophic Communications
Dr. Jacob Verghese or Dr. Laura Mittmann
+49 89 2388 7731 or +49 89 9093 3803
[email protected]
